Stormont departments have more than 2,300 staff car parking spaces in Belfast city centre, it has emerged.
However, the full number of designated parking spaces used by civil servants is unclear because two departments, including the Executive Office, have yet to disclose the information.
Last month, DUP MLA Michelle McIlveen asked in a written assembly question how many car parking spaces each department had responsibility for in Belfast city centre.
From the answers provided by ministers, it emerged that the Department for the Economy has the greatest number, some 772, including more than 600 for staff at the Belfast Met campuses at Millfield and Titanic Quarter.
The Department for Infrastructure, which is responsible for promoting active travel, has 630 and the Department of Finance 468, but the latter plans to reduce its car parking space quantum with the sale of two office buildings and “exiting of one lease”.
The Department of Justice has 194 spaces, the Department of Education 265, and the Department of Health 42, which it plans to reduce by ten.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, which is headquartered at Clare House on the Belfast Harbour Estate, has no staff car parking provision in the city centre.
Under assembly rules, Ms McIlveen was supposed to be provided with an answer from the first and deputy first ministers by July 22, and from the communities minister, DUP colleague Gordon Lyons, by July 24.
Both departments were asked by The Irish News on Tuesday to explain why the DUP MLA’s questions had not been answered.
The two departments were also asked to detail the number of car parking spaces in Belfast city centre that they were responsible for but again there was no response.
